On The Art Table in October

Murals, calendars, and denim maxi skirts

First off, my apologies for the late newsletter. I know you’re all just chomping at the bit for the first of each month to arrive so you can read my monthly newsletter, and who should be trusted (to create and sell a calendar no less) if they can’t even deliver on that?! I hate excuses, and I hate the term ‘busy’, so I’ll say life has been very full lately. The first week of summer October was unseasonably warm, so I took advantage of those 80 degree days to paddle board start working on the mural at Bryant Park. The project started later than expected and I’ve been racing against northern Michigan weather to finish as much as possible. As a result, I set aside most non-weather dependent tasks on my to-do list. Lucky for you, the weather has been absolute sh*t the past couple days, so here we are, the highly anticipated October newsletter.

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Bryant Park Mural

What a special project this has been. I could write an entire newsletter on this, and maybe I will when it’s finished, but wow. In June I scored this gig painting for the city and it’s really such an honor. It’s ‘the beach at the end of our street’ as our family accurately and fondly calls it, and one of our favorite things about where we live.

This summer I invited local friends and families to join us at the park to hang and take reference photos. Among them of course was sweet Wren and her family, who have long been in the plans to paint. I don’t quite have the words for it, but working on painting their figures in the wake of Wren’s diagnosis and subsequent surgeries has just felt really meaningful. When I started working on the idea and inspiration, I knew I wanted to somehow encapsulate the feeling of community this park offers, and the process of painting has already strengthened that feeling ten fold. I’ve loved connecting with so many of you at the park, even little Wren made a visit.

The next time you’re headed up Mission Peninsula, take a look at the progress! The long side will be finished in 2024.

Some apprentices hard at work.

Still waiting on some sunny days + scaffolding to finish the sky, but side 1 of 3 is nearly finished!

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Available tomorrow… Calendars!

My 2024 ‘Beach Days’ Calendar will be available for pre-order tomorrow!

I love offering a calendar each holiday season. It’s my most affordable offering and a great way to begin collecting and displaying art if you’re not ready to invest in prints or originals. Each page features an 8x10 frame-able piece of art, including a slim white border. The price point also makes for great holiday gifts and stocking stuffers if I do say so myself.

This year, I’m excited to be using a higher quality card stock. It’s a 140# uncoated, textured antique vellum, closely resembling the paper I print my giclées on. In other words, expect a thicker, off-white paper with an organic feel complementing the themes in my work.

I work with a printer just down the street, and they use a method called ‘off-set printing’ which is how newspapers and books are printed. If you’re interested, you can read about the process here. Off-set printing gives us a little more control over color and we can also achieve a matte finish this way.

And as you can see, it features my recent ‘Beach Portrait’ series!

Check your email tomorrow for a link to pre-order!

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Table Talk (aka the convos I’d be having with you while sitting together making art.)

• Reading: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

  This book is sold out everywhere and has a waitlist a mile long at our library, so when I heard Meryl Streep performed the audio version that seemed like a no-brainer. The book mostly takes place between ‘Tom Lake’ which I believe is based off Interlochen, and a cherry farm on Mission Peninsula. I’ve been listening while painting the mural and can’t help but feel like I’m in a simulation - painting next to West Bay, while the characters are swimming in said bay. Grosse Pointe is even mentioned, along with many other Michigan towns. If you’re from Michigan, or just want to pretend like you are, I highly recommend.

• Wearing: Denim Maxi Skirts

  After being pregnant and having two kids in the span of 3 years, it feels so good to wear fun clothes again. I don’t buy a new wardrobe each season, but I do invest in a couple pieces to feel current, and since I didn’t buy much for three years I’m slowly rebuilding my closet. Of course the nineties girl in me was thrilled seeing denim maxi skirts back in style. I love their retro vibe, seasonal versatility, and most of all, their washability. I snagged this one for under $200 (get $25 off when you sign up for their email list, sizes are running out!) but also linked a bunch of others I love on my LTK page here, along with how I would style it. If you want to nerd out over denim even more, may I suggest this pod interview with Libby Page, market director for Net-A-Porter.

• Paired with: Onitsuka Tigers

  Apparently the new it sneaker seen at NYFW. My fashion fearing husband has been wearing these since we met in 2013, so when I told him this he was quite smug. Kaia makes a great case for the yellow, but anything red is also a fun choice right now. *Note, take your size in mens.

  

  Sitting in aforementioned skirt as I write this NL.

Alright, that’s all for now! If you have any questions or just want to say hello, liking this post and sharing a comment really help my newsletter.

See you tomorrow for the calendar pre-sale!

x

Katherine